An expat from Riyadh ...

Monday, April 9, 2007

its april 2007, another year is added unto my age. uhhmmm, i'm not getting any younger. how time flies and i have 12 months to go before my contract ends here in riyadh.

right now our IT department looks like a one man army, our IT manager just resigned and now have a better paying job. our network administrator is in limbo after a shoving match with the owner of the company. one programmer got kick out and the other one exit the country without informing the owner, the only one remaining is "me".

Saturday, December 23, 2006

i was wondering why they make the birth of our Lord Jesus in the month of december...

here in riyadh, the temperature is freezing and the rest of the middle east is feeling the cold wind especially at night and early dawn.

in bethlehem right now people are wearing their winter clothes and it will be quite dumb if someone will wear their summer outfit in this kind of weather.

i never give a second thought the birth of Christ before , Bethlehem, just 854 miles from here seems so near , sheep don't go to the pasture at this time of the year since they will freeze to death therefore its not in the month of december that the nativity happened.

many people don't know this that here in middle east there's a winter season also. when i first came here i didn't bring any winter clothes thinking all of saudi arabia is desert and therefore its very hot. but came november and i first experienced my first winter since in my native country we don't have this kind of season.

the exact month of christmas is not important , its the spirit of christmas that we should rejoice knowing that two thousand years ago our saviour was born to save us from our sins.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

christmas is just around the corner, but here in riyadh its the coming of eid that majority of the people are preparing for.

i'm a christian working here in riyadh and its been three years now that i didn't feel the christmas spirit. i miss the christmas carols, the carolers and all the christmas decorations.

i discovered that living alone in this god forsaken place makes me long for the people,food and places that i didn't give a second thought when i was still living in my native country. that how lucky i am even though i don't have tons of money in my pocket that i can be with my loved ones without being broke with expensive long distance charges. that i can eat my favorite pork dishes (how i long to eat pork adobo again) without paying SR 120 per kilo and to go to places that man and women can mingle without fear of the religious police.

if my all my debts are already paid and i have substantial amount saved in the bank then maybe i will say "Hasta la Vista Riyadh"....

Saturday, December 16, 2006

i'm always fascinated with time... in Ecclesiastes you can read this passage below:

here is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.

every time i read this passage, it reminds me that everything in this life cannot escape time. we should live our life to the fullest since at the end we will gonna meet our creator whether we like it or not.